[PinkJazzX]

Today, it looks like my PC died when I unplugged my rechargeable mouse. I smelled a burning smell coming out of my PC after this happened.

I think it could be eiter one of these two problems: either the motherboard or the CPU. All fans (including the GPU fan) turn on, but I don't get any beeps. I am leaning toward the CPU as when I removed the RAM, I at least got some beeps from the BIOS. I really don't think it is my power supply as my power supply is brand new (a ThermalTake Litepower 450W 80 Plus Bronze Active PFC CPU).

FYI, my mobo is an ASRock 4CoreDual-SATA2, and my CPU is an Intel Core 2 Duo E8500. Could anyone help me here?

 

[Doby]

Remove all cards except video, disconnect front usb ports, remove all drives, the ide here is just to see if it will post.
Have a sniff of the psu, could the smell have been comig from there?
Its a good sign the board beeps and I doubt its the cpu unless it overheated

 

[DBCooper]

Hi PinkJazzX,

Try testing out another spare cpu thats compatible with the same socket as your computer motherboard. Purchase one if you have to(keep the receipt) or you can also borrow a friend's computer cpu if he/she has a spare that uses the same socket.

 

[Tyree]

CPU's are pretty bullet proof so that would be one of the last things I would suspect.
Was the PC running when you unplugged the mouse?
Brand & Model of your GPU?
A failed PSU is the most common source for burned smells.
With no RAM installed, you should bet a repeated single beep from the Mobo speaker if the Mobo is OK.

 

[PinkJazzX]

CPU's are pretty bullet proof so that would be one of the last things I would suspect.
Was the PC running when you unplugged the mouse?
Brand & Model of your GPU?
A failed PSU is the most common source for burned smells.
With no RAM installed, you should bet a repeated single beep from the Mobo speaker if the Mobo is OK.

FYI, I just tried another spare PSU that I had (a cheap 350w Antec Basiq), and that didn't fix the problem. Must be the CPU then.

 

[Amd_Man]

FYI, the odds of a modern day CPU failing is remote. I haven't seen it in many years now. I would take the motherboard out and carefully inspect it for any burn markings. You may have fried the built-in over-current protection for the usb ports.

 

[PinkJazzX]

A little update, I decided to clean my CPU heatsink, and when I was cleaning it, I noticed a burning smell similar to the one I originally smelt. Also, there were these dusty marks around the CPU area. I'm starting to really think it was the CPU that died.

As I have already stated, I already tried two PSUs and neither of them seem to fix the problem. Also, I smelled my ThermalTake power supply and it still smelled like it was brand new.

 

[Amd_Man]

Have you tried what Tyree sugested and remove the Ram to see if you get beep errors?

 

[PinkJazzX]

Have you tried what Tyree sugested and remove the Ram to see if you get beep errors?

Yes, I get beeps when I remove the RAM.

So, could the problem be bad RAM?

UPDATE:

Today, I borrowed an old LGA775 Pentium 4, and I decided to give it a test run. I got a BIOS screen! However, when I re-installed my Core 2 Duo, I also got a BIOS screen.

To prevent this from happening again, should I consider buying a new motherboard (along with a new CPU and GPU)? I am thinking it could be a motherboard issue where sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

Also, I just used a multimeter to test my PSU, and all pins are reading their required voltages. Has to be the motherboard!

 

[Tyree]

Are you using Onboard Graphics or a dedicated GPU? If dedicated, Brand & Model of the GPU?

 

[Doby]

Also you mentioned you are getting a bios screen, can you enter bios and move around in there?